David Mazouz plays Jake, a mute child with an obsession with numbers and patterns which, if deciphered properly by his father (Sutherland), lead to worldwide human connections.

Kiefer Sutherland returns to primetime Wednesday in the Fox drama Touch, as the father of a child who has never spoken and doesn’t communicate in any traditional ways.  Touch was created by Tim Kring, (Heroes).

Like the heroic characters in Hereos, in Touch Jake has super abilities only his are with numbers and patterns which, if deciphered properly by his father, lead to connections among people worldwide.

Child Actor David Mazouz

According to Kring, finding the right actor fir the part was difficult as the role requires an ability to affect the blank, isolated look often seen in children who have autism, yet also to suggest there is a lot going on behind the eyes.

Kring told the NY Times, “David is an extraordinary child. He is extremely focused, and you can see the internal life in him. He’s also very still. Most kids we auditioned, you’d catch moments here and there between their general fidgetiness.”

Jake is silent to the other characters but his thoughts are heard in voice-over. “Because we hear his internal voice, we have an understanding of just how intelligent he is, so we had to cast someone who fit that,” Kring said.

Mazouz is represented theatrically by Wendi Green, Paradigm, and Jeremy Apody, Abrams Artists, commercially. Prior to landing the role of Jake, David worked on episodes of Mike and Molly, Criminal Minds, Private Practice and the tv movie Amish Grace.

Kring and his team try to establish early on that, although Jake might look autistic, Touch is not about autism, and Jake’s condition is something else entirely.

“In the pilot, we were pretty set on trying to state that as early as possible,” Kring said. “Clearly, the autism community deserves to have champions out there, but, by the same token, we wanted to have the ability as storytellers to float above reality a little bit. There’s something special going on with this child — something metaphysical, almost supernatural.”

In the premiere, Sutherland finds his way to a some answers when he meets a character played by Danny Glover, who tells him that Jake essentially has psychic powers.

“Your son sees everything,” the character says: “the past, the present, the future. He sees how it’s all connected.”

Then he adds, “It’s a road map, and your job now, your purpose, is to follow it for him.”

*Sources: Fox, NY Times

Click here for the Huffington Post Interview with the stars of Touch

Mazouz played Ryan Hall in an episode of Criminal Minds (2011), called "The Bittersweet Science."

More »

Kaia Gerber has just made Cindy Crawford a Momager by landing Young Versace's launch ad campaign. Who knew rocking socks with sandals could be chic?

“Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift,” Donatella Versace said in a release to the press. “The camera really, really loves her. Having Cindy on-set for the shoot took me back to all the amazing Avedon shoots we worked on together. It was such a special treat watching Kaia walk in her mother’s footsteps!”

Cindy Crawford had this to say about her progeny:

“I’m so thrilled that Kaia was chosen to be part of the first Young Versace Campaign. I have so many fond memories of the times I spent with Gianni and Donatella. There is something so very special about the House of Versace. Being on-set with my daughter watching her in front of the camera was a fantastic experience. I am so proud of her.”

Famed Photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot shot the campaign for the line which will debut during Pitti Immagine Bimbo in Florence. The line fits kids ages 0-12 and stays true to many  of Versace’s signature themes like the iconic Greek key motif and Medusa head logo.

More »

teen stars from 2 different hit television shows, add 1 fun educational program (with an exciting new sweepstakes) and multiply by the fact that you’re helping kids with cancer, it’s bound to be an equation for success.

“iCarly”stars Jennette McCurdy and Nathan Kress and “Victorious” star Ariana Grande are teaming up to help kids across the country get excited about developing their math skills through the St. Jude Math-A-Thon program, America’s largest education-based fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The young stars also are helping launch a new sweepstakes that will give two lucky students the opportunity to visit the set for a taping of a Nickelodeon show.

Last year, McCurdy, Kress and Grande visited St. Jude with the entire casts of both shows to provide a special sneak peak of their Nickelodeon shows and throw a party for St. Jude patients and their family members. Now, the trio is helping engage teachers, students and parents in the St. Jude Math-A-Thon program while at the same time raising awareness for St. Jude’s lifesaving mission of finding cures for children battling cancer and other deadly diseases.

“I’ve had the opportunity to visit St. Jude on several occasions and each time I go back I meet the most amazing kids,” said McCurdy. “Even though they’re dealing with these terrible diseases, they have the biggest smiles on their faces when they see us.”

The winner of the sweepstakes will be determined by drawing two winning schools from 2011-2012 St. Jude Math-A-Thon program participants, who will then each select a student (one student per school) to win a trip to Los Angeles in 2012 to visit the set for a taping of a Nickelodeon show.

“The St. Jude Math-A-Thon program is a fun way for kids and teachers to work on their math skills,” said Kress. “Not only will they be helping other kids battling cancer at St. Jude but through the sweepstakes this year they might get the chance to come out for a taping of a Nickelodeon show!”

“I wanted to support the St. Jude Math-A-Thon program because it’s something that has always been important to my family,” said Grande. “Kids are going to have a great time participating in the program and helping raise money for other kids battling cancer at St. Jude.”

For more than 30 years the St. Jude Math-A-Thon program has been America’s largest education-based fundraiser and has raised $417 million for St. Jude. The program includes a math curriculum supplement for grades K-8 that students complete after obtaining sponsorships from family and friends. Schools from all 50 states have participated in St. Jude Math-A-Thon with more than 6,800 schools involved in the program last year alone.

“The St. Jude Math-A-Thon program is a great opportunity for kids to help other kids battling cancer and other deadly diseases at St. Jude,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. “Jennette, Nathan and Ariana are talented young stars who are incredibly dedicated to our mission and will really help us get students and teachers across the country excited for their next math lesson.”

To learn more about the program and sweepstakes, or to get your school involved, please visit www.mathathon.org.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

More »

Beauty Shop co-stars Queen Latifah and Keke Palmer reunite as mother and daughter in today's release JOYFUL NOISE

Oscar® nominees Queen Latifah (“Chicago,” “Hairspray”) and Dolly Parton (“Transamerica,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Nine to Five”) star in Alcon Entertainment’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Joyful Noise,” a funny and inspirational story of music, hope, love and renewal.

The small town of Pacashau, Georgia, has fallen on hard times, but the people are counting on the Divinity Church Choir to lift their spirits by winning the National Joyful Noise Competition.

The town choir has always known how to sing in harmony, but the discord between its two leading ladies now threatens to tear them apart. Their newly appointed director, Vi Rose Hill (Latifah), stubbornly wants to stick with their tried-and-true traditional style, while the fiery G.G. Sparrow (Parton) thinks tried-and-true translates to tired-and-old. Shaking things up even more is the arrival of G.G.’s rebellious grandson, Randy (Jeremy Jordan). Randy has an ear for music, but he also has an eye for Vi Rose’s beautiful and talented daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer), and the sparks between the two teenagers are causing even more friction between G.G. and Vi Rose.

If these two strong-willed women can put aside their differences for the good of the people in their town, they—and their choir—may make the most joyful noise of all.

Starring with Latifah and Parton are Keke Palmer (“Akeelah and the Bee”), Courtney B. Vance (“Extraordinary Measures”), Jeremy Jordan (Broadway’s “Bonnie and Clyde”), and Kris Kristofferson (“Dolphin Tale”). Rounding out the main cast are Dexter Darden, Angela Grovey, Paul Woolfolk and Jesse L. Martin.

The musically driven story also brings together the sounds of gospel, pop, country, rock and R & B with memorable songs, performed by the cast, from a wide range of artists, including Michael Jackson, Usher, Chris Brown, Paul McCartney, Sly & the Family Stone and Stevie Wonder. Dolly Parton also wrote original songs for the film, including “Not Enough” and “From Here to the Moon and Back.”

“Joyful Noise,” opens nationwide today, January 13, 2012.

ABOUT KEKE

Keke Palmer, 18, is an award-winning actress and singer.

In 2005, at the age of 12, Palmer signed a deal with Atlantic Records. Her debut single, “All My Girlz,” is featured on the soundtrack to the acclaimed film “Akeelah and the Bee,” in which she also starred, opposite Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. Her breakthrough performance as an 11 year old who participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee was honored with an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture, the Black Movie Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture, and she received nominations from the Chicago Film Critics Association for Most Promising Newcomer and the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Black Reel Awards for Best Actress.

In 2006, Palmer recorded the song “Tonight,” which was featured in the hit film “Night at the Museum.” In 2007, Palmer’s Atlantic Records debut pop/R & B album, So Uncool, was released and Palmer also signed a deal with Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, as well as headlining Disney’s Jingle Jam Tour. Palmer recently completed her latest album, a mixture of R & B/Hip-Hop with pop undertones, which will be released on the Interscope Records label in 2012.

On the small screen, Palmer received a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Best Leading Actress, as well as an NAACP Image Award nomination, for her role in the TV movie “The Wool Cap,” with William H. Macy. She also starred as the title character in the Nickelodeon series “True Jackson, VP,” writing and performing the theme song for the series, and played the lead role of Mary, opposite Corbin Bleu, in the 2007 Disney Channel movie “Jump In!,” which also features Palmer on the soundtrack.Palmer began her career at age nine with a small role in the feature film “Barbershop 2: Back in Business,” with Queen Latifah. She was most recently seen alongside Kevin Spacey and Robin Williams in the feature “Shrink,” which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, garnering Palmer rave reviews for her performance. In 2008, she played a female quarterback in Fred Durst’s “The Longshots,” based on a true story. She also starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes in “Cleaner,” which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Palmer lent her voice as the character of Peaches in “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” releasing in July 2012, and will next be seen playing the role of Aisha in Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer,” and as Allison, opposite Abigail Breslin, in “Virgin Mary.”

She is currently producing and starring in Nickelodeon’s “Ragz.” Her other film and TV credits include “Madea’s Family Reunion,” starring Tyler Perry, Cicely Tyson, and Dr. Maya Angelou; “Knights of the South Bronx,” with Ted Danson; the Disney Channel pilot “Keke & Jamal”; and guest-starring roles on several TV series, including “Strong Medicine,” “Cold Case,” “ER,” and “Law & Order.”

More »

The event will feature a teen battle of the bands competition on Jan. 21, 2012 in Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, and Chance expressed his feelings on supporting such a worthy cause. Take a look at all the entered bands here!

“I am honored to be a part of a program with NAMM that is encouraging students to grow their musical talents,” Chance said. “Music is such an important part of my life and I am very excited to help shine the spotlight on some new talent – it’s important to me to support programs like SchoolJam USA and foster ongoing music education.”

On Jan. 21, 2012, the top eight bands will perform for a panel of professional judges as well as fans for the honor of “Best Teen Band in the USA.”

The winning band will get to perform at the original SchoolJam festival in Frankfurt, Germany this spring, receive a music video recording session on the John Lennon Educational Bus and also receive cash prizes to purchase new music gear and support their school’s music programs. For more on this event, visit www.schooljamusa.com.

2011 Winners PELIGRO

Why should your school be involved in SchoolJam USA?

First, there’s the obvious—potential funds for your program—but here are some other reasons we think you should get involved:

• SchoolJam USA puts important music education advocacy materials into the hands of your students and local community.
• The program engages music students and non-music peers in an interactive music event, building a strong community.
• SchoolJam USA helps to bridge the gap between traditional music education students and non-traditional student musicians helping to expand your music education program.
• Every participating school will receive notification from us, which includes advocacy messaging sent to school leaders.
• SchoolJam USA is a learning experience. Students who advance to the semi-finals will get hands-on experience with promotions and marketing, as well as learning important team-building skills.

If you would like your students involved with SchoolJam USA, e-mail us at schooljamusa@namm.org and they’ll get you everything you need.

PLUS: Do you need access to music education advocacy resources? Make sure to visit www.supportmusic.com for tools and information that can be vital to helping your community make the case for your music education program.

More »

Life, Above All - now on DVD.

Time magazine’s list of the 10 best movie performances for 2011 includes a South African girl, Khomotso Manyaka, cast as Chanda in the film, Life, Above All, based on the Allan Stratton novel “Chanda’s Secrets.”  The film is about a young girl (Khomotso), living in a small, AIDS-infested South African township who struggles to maintain the façade of normality amidst crushing odds: her stepfather is an alcoholic, her newborn sister has just died, and her mother has been diagnosed with the AIDS virus. As Chanda’s mother’s illness becomes apparent, the community turns against the family, misinterpreting the disease as some form of retribution for their sins. Now 15, Manyaka was only 13 years old at the time of filming.

Khomotso Manyaka gives the performance of a lifetime.

Khomotso said of her performance: “I’m very proud of myself – 2011 was a great year.”  She went onto reveal that the recognition makes her “happy” and “surprises” her because she “never knew I had talent.”  After the film, she and her co-star and friend Keaobaka Makanyane received scholarships to the National School of the Arts.

Time Magazine says of Manyaka’s performance:

“Khomotso Manyaka was no Hollywood moppet, just a South African girl who had never acted, when director Oliver Schmitz picked her for the lead role in this starkly poignant drama about a family, a village, and a people devastated by the Aids plague.

“Given the challenge, Manyaka invested the part of Chanda, the sole strength of her ravaged clan, with amazing poise, delicacy and grit.”

“Life, Above All” and Khomotso’s performance particularly as she acts in almost every scene – have gathered several high-profile accolades. Last year, Khomotso received the best actress award at the SA Film and TV Awards, and in 2010 she won the best actress award at the Durban International Film Festival.

The film was also shortlisted by the Academy Awards committee in the category of Best Foreign Film.

When it screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, “Life, Above All,” received a 10-minute standing ovation.

Other movies and actors named to the list include Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard for The Help; Former Child Star
Mia Wasikowska for Jane Eyre; Brad Pitt for Tree of Life, Money Ball and Happy Feet 2 and Meryl Streep for Iron Lady.
Source: Time Magazine

More »

Child Stars Kristy McNichol and Tatum O'Neal in "Little Darlings"

Actress and former child star Kristy McNichol, 49, has come out as a lesbian in an effort to help kids who are troubled by their sexuality and who are being bullied for being different.

 The former child star of 1980′s “Little Darlings,” and TV hits “Family” and “Empty Nest” dropped out of Hollywood and retired from acting in the 90′s after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now she’s reaching out via her publicist to announce her own sexuality in hopes that it will help bullied teens.

McNichol’s has been living with her partner Martie Allen for two decades and according to her publicist Jeff Ballard,”[She] is sad about kids being bullied. She hopes that [her] coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different.”

Source: People.com

More »

According to The Sun, Feldman decided to publicly discuss the abuse he suffered at age 14 after his best friend, former child star Corey Haim, died of heart failure and pneumonia. Feldman allegedly waited until after Haim’s death to reveal the abuse they both endured as he didn’t want to subject Haim to the nastiness all over again.  Coincidentally, one of their former talent agents was charged with child abuse at approximately that same time.

“When I was 14 and 15, things were happening to me,” he said. “These older men were leching around like vultures. It was basically me laying there pretending I was asleep and them going about their business. Corey [Haim] and I were pegged as the scapegoats,” said Feldman.

“People need to know the reason Corey and I were swept under the carpet like the beaten dogs that were sent to the pound so no one had to deal with us anymore,” says Feldman, ”I stood up and said there is a bigger problem, that I’d lost Corey and that I didn’t want to see any more kids lost to these sick perverts.”

Former “Little House on the Prairie” Child Star Alison Arngrim (also a victim of child sexual abuse) confirmed Feldman’s statements to Fox News on Decemeber 5, 2011 stating:

“This has been going on for a very long time. It was the gossip back in the ‘80s. People said, ‘Oh yeah, the Coreys [Feldman, Haim], everyone’s had them.’ People talked about it like it was not a big deal…”

“I literally heard that they were ‘passed around,’” Arngrim said. “The word was that they were given drugs and being used for sex. It was awful–these were kids, they weren’t 18 yet. There were all sorts of stories about everyone from their, quote, ‘set guardians’ on down that these two had been sexually abused and were totally being corrupted in every possible way.”

Fortunately, thanks to these brave stars the public’s eyes are beginning to open to this secret epidemic as three high profile pedophile cases have rocked Hollywood in the few short months following Feldman’s revelations:

• Martin Weiss, a 47-year-old Hollywood manager who represented child actors, was charged in Los Angeles on Dec. 1, 2011 with sexually abusing a former client. His accuser, who was under 12 years old during the time of the alleged abuse, reported to authorities that Weiss told him “what they were doing was common practice in the entertainment industry.” Weiss has pleaded not guilty.
• On Nov. 21, 2011 Fernando Rivas, 59, an award-winning composer for “Sesame Street,” was arraigned on charges of coercing a child “to engage in sexually explicit conduct” in South Carolina. The Juilliard-trained composer was also charged with production and distribution of child pornography.
• Registered sex offender Jason James Murphy, 35, worked as a casting agent in Hollywood for years before his past kidnapping and sexual abuse of a boy was revealed by the Los Angeles Times on Nov. 17. Murphy’s credits include placing young actors in kid-friendly fare like “Bad News Bears,” “The School of Rock,” “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” and the forthcoming “Three Stooges.”

Sources: ABC News Nightline, The Sun via Radar online, Fox News

More »

Dakota Fanning

Many readers are crying foul that a young actress, known best for films like Charlotte’s Web and Dr. Suess’ The Cat in the Hat, is on this cover next to headlines reading “His Best Sex Ever,” “Too Naughty To Stay Here: But You Have to Try This Sex Trick,” and “Um, Vagina Are You Okay Down There?” But in all fairness, she looks beautiful if not entirely age appropriate in a mostly-cleavage-covering pink sequin gown. Reminder – Fanning will become a legal adult soon as she celebrates her 18th birthday at the end of February 2012.

Fanning is still legally a minor though which is why some outlets are raising issue with the placement of a 17 year old on the cover of a magazine well-known for pushing the limits of adult female sexuality. For those of you who recall Miley Cyrus’ Vanity Fair photo shoot a few years back – this seems tame in comparison to me. Living in Los Angeles, I’ve seen more provocative dresses at high school proms. I think it’s the not so much the photo people are struggling with as the Fanning-Cosmo affiliation.

HMB Readers may recall that Fanning raised eyebrows in a perfume ad for Marc Jacobs’ perfume Oh, Lola! just a few months ago which was eventually banned in the UK for sexualizing a minor.

Click on the photo below to see Cosmo’s recap of Dakota’s red carpet looks throughout the years.

More »

Two child actors are making headlines via Twitter, one being 1990′s child star Alisan Porter (Parenthood, Curly Sue) and the other is aspiring child actor Damian Charles Hurley, none other than the prodigy of actress/model turned swimwear designer mom Elizabeth Hurley (Gossip Girl, Austin Powers).

Alisan Porter, a familiar face in the early to mid 1990′s, is in the news again after announcing via Twitter (@AlisanPorter) and via pictures on Instagram that she will become a mother for the first time in 2012; July 17, to be precise.

Nine Year old Damian on the other hand has just recently informed Elizabeth that he aspires to be a child star.

After her son spent the afternoon with Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively at Serendipity, Elizabeth posted to her Twitter feed (@ElizabethHurley): “Oh lord, my son is begging me to find him an agent so he can become a child actor.”

According to the U.K.’s Daily Mirror, Hurley reported ”I was going to wrap late, Blake had wrapped early, and Damian was on the set. She asked, ‘Can I take him out?’ And they went to the Serendipity ice cream parlor and had a big sundae and a hot chocolate.”  Don’t worry Elizabeth – it may just be the sugar talking.

More »

Maggie Elizabeth Jones

Due to popular request, I am reposting this 11/9/2010 post on child actor Maggie Elizabeth Jones.

According to IMDB, Georgia Native Maggie Elizabeth Jones is the latest child actor to be cast in “We Bought a Zoo.” As HMB reported, Colin Ford was cast as Dylan Mee a few weeks ago.

While it’s unknown whether Maggie was cast through the open call process announced in an earlier post, it seems highly unlikely as both she and her older sister Mary-Charles Jones have a list of professional credits that far outnumber their years.

Maggie and Mary-Charles are currently cast as sisters Amy and Sara Warniker in the remake of “Footloose.“ According to their mother Angela: “Maggie and Mary-Charles are very excited about Footloose. They get to play sisters in the film and are cousins of the lead actor. Not only do they get to act they get to sing and dance too. Fun Fun!!”

Mary-Charles also has a recurring role as the young Miley Stewart on the hit Disney show Hannah Montana. She’s featured in two episodes (“Hannah Montana to the Principal’s Office” & “Sweet Home Hannah Montana”).

The girls, who come from a devoutly Christian family in Georgia, are both represented by Cindy Osbrink and J Pervis Talent Agency in Atlanta, GA.

Below is a Public Service Announcement Maggie did for Anger Prevention and Awareness.

Thanks to HMB Reader Sherry for the heads up on the casting. Confirming Sources: IMDB Pro, AMTC (Actors, Models and Talent for Christ)

Maggie Elizabeth and big sister Mary Charles at the premiere of "Footloose."

More »

Child no more but still a star, Demi Lovato in 2011

UPDATE:  The official PR Twitter account for Disney Channel tweeted to Lovato in response: “We hear you & are pulling both episodes as quickly as possible & reevaluating them.” Disney PR added, “It’s NEVER our intention to make light of eating disorders!”

Disney “Sonny with a Chance” star Demi Lovato has accused Disney of poking fun and making light of eating disorders on its hit TV series “Shake It Up.”

Demi, who earlier in the year revealed her history of bulimia and anorexia, took to Twitter after watching a recent episode of Shake It Up, a music and dance-focused sitcom that stars two girls in their early teenage years.

Apparently in the offensive episode one of the chacters says to another: “I could just eat you up… well, if I ate.”

“What are we promoting here? #notfunnyATALL,” Lovato tweeted. Lovato’s twitter

“I find it really funny how a company can lose one of their actress’ from the pressures of an EATING DISORDER and yet still make joke about… that very disease.

“And is it just me or are the actress’ getting THINNER AND THINNER…. I miss the days of RAVEN, and LIZZIE MCGUIRE.

“Dear Disney Channel, EATING DISORDERS ARE NOT SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT.”

Raven Symone of Disney's old hit show RAVEN

Disney's SHAKE IT UP teen star, Bella Thorne

Lovato goes on to say: “… and society wonders why there are 7 yr old with eating disorders…yet disney is making jokes about it.”

Later she posted: “Just clearing things up, I have nothing against any specific actress/actor or tv show.. Nor do I think there’s anything wrong with girls who aren’t curvy, I just was stating a fact that there needs to be more variety on television so young girls growing up don’t feel pressured to look one specific way. Tall, thin, curvy, short, whatever you are, you are beautiful. ”

As an adult who has battled eating disorders and my relationship with food since early childhood, I commend Demi from speaking out on this issue. There should absolutely be children and teens of all sizes and shapes on television and when it comes to children’s programming, eating disorders should never be treated as a joke.

More »

The Winter Family Festival is fun for the entire family – play in TONS of snow and enjoy music, crafts, free photos with Santa, classic cars, face painting, food trucks, and the Radio Disney Road Crew, who will keep the party rockin’ with some awesome beats and treats!

It all takes place on Sunday, December 4th from 1:30pm to 5:30pm at Beeman Park in Studio City! Park free and take the shuttle from CBS Studio Center, 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604. Shuttles run from 1:00pm to 6:00pm. Please visit RadioDisney.com/LosAngeles for details.

Charities benefitting from this event include: Pet Orphans, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bookends, LAPD North Hollywood Division, North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry, St. Charles Borromeo Church Food Pantry and Operation Uplift. Each charity will be on-site to take donations.

More »

Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz star in HUGO

According to Deadline Hollywood, child actor Asa Butterfield, 14, who stars in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo with Chloe Moretz, has been offered the lead role in the highly sought after book turned film property, Ender’s Game. After screen-testing several young actors, director Gavin Hood (Wolverine) chose Butterfield to star as boy genius Andrew “Ender” Wiggin in the adaptation of the seminal Orson Scott Card sci-fi book series.  It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and rose to the top of national bestseller lists.

The publishers website describes “Ender’s Game” this way:  ”Andrew “Ender” Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when this begins. He will grow up fast.

“But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military’s purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine’s abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.”

Other book characters include Ender’s older siblings, Valentine and Peter. Casting Director is John Papsidera and has a tentative March 15, 2013 release date.

Butterfield has worked on several major feature films: Son of Rambow, Nanny McPhee Returns, The Wolfman and The Boy in Striped Pajamas. Martin Scorsese’s 3-D family film Hugo will debut  in theaters over the Thanksgiving weekend.

More »

Nolan Gould and Murray pack boxes at the LA Regional Food Bank

Kiernan Shipka, Lexi Hofer, Evan Hofer, Gig Morton, Griffin Cluck, Murray, Nolan Gould and Jake Short volunteer at the LA Regional Food Bank

The prime time special, part of Sesame Street’s initiative, Growing Hope Against Hunger, will air in Spanish next Friday, November 25, 2011 on Vme TV (check local listings). The special, which aired last month on PBS in English, can also be viewed online in English at  www.sesamestreet.org/food. The special is hosted by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams Paisley and introduces Lily, a new Muppet, who’s own family is food insecure, raising awareness of the widespread issue of hunger.  The special, made possible by the generous support of Walmart, provides simple, empowering strategies to families who aren’t sure where their next meal will come from and to others who want to help.

More »

Location: Westfield Culver City, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230
Walker Check-in Starts: 7:00 AM
Walk Starts: 8:00 AM

Walks across the country are designed to be an event that the whole family will enjoy and several will feature special guests and local personalities. History Channel’s “American Pickers” star Mike Wolfe and his Antique Archaeology-Nashville crew will rally his fans to donate to St. Jude in support of his participation in the Nashville Give thanks. Walk. Disney stars Elise Neal (“A.N.T. Farm”) and Adam Irigoyen (“Shake it Up”) will join walkers at the Los Angeles event. Those heading out to the Detroit walk may pick up a few fitness tips from “Biggest Loser” season seven winner Helen Phillips and popular actress Angélica Vale will walk side-by-side with walkers in Miami. Katharine McPhee will serve as grand marshall of the NYC event.

The St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. provides walkers of all ages and fitness levels with the opportunity to participate in a fun, budget-friendly activity that also has a lifesaving mission. Registration is free and walkers are encouraged to recruit a team of family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to walk and raise money for St. Jude. Participants set a personal fundraising goal and ask sponsors to make donations for their team’s efforts. All fundraisers can earn exciting incentive prizes at the $35, $100 and $250 levels. The walk is nationally sponsored by New York & Company, Brooks Brothers and AutoTrader.com.

As the official kickoff event to the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign, the walk is perfectly timed to have people out and about for all their holiday shopping needs. The Thanks and Giving campaign asks people to support St. Jude and “give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not” by shopping at more than 60 participating partners where the St. Jude Thanks and Giving green magnifying glass logo is displayed. Many of the St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. events take place at malls or shopping centers with Thanks and Giving partner locations.

For more information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.

More »

The now 24-year-old told CNN talk show host Piers Morgan: “My sister (Hailey Duff) and I really showed an interest in performing and dedication, and [my mother] was like, ‘How can I tell my kids no?’ It’s the same as kids that are going into sports. Parents support them and push them.”

But despite admitting she wouldn’t trade her younger years for a different upbringing, she isn’t keen on her child following in her footsteps.

“I missed out on stupid things like passing notes in school and having a locker and riding the bus, I mean, really stupid things. At the time I felt, once I started touring… my life… was very isolated, you know? I lost a lot of my friends. I was on a totally different playing field than anybody else. And I grew up a lot faster, and I think that it definitely put me in a different place. But I wouldn’t trade it.”

Even with her view that it was a positive experience for her, Hilary doesn’t want the same career path for her child, stating “I don’t think there’s a way to stop it – I think kids know what they want but I just pray to God that’s not what he wants.” When Piers inquires as to why that is, Hilary bluntly states that today media intrusiveness has peaked with child stars and that the potential lack privacy is a strong concern. Duff said, “There’s such an obsession with people’s private lives, that I really don’t think was there before.” She continues, “It’s so invasive. It’s just a different business than it used to be.”

More »

Christina Ricci

Unlike today’s teen and child stars who are under constant media scrutiny, Christina reveals that she was not pursued by paparazzi in the 90′s and led a normal teen life.

“You know, I made all the mistakes a lot of young stars are making today. I partied, I drank. But during my time there weren’t that many photographers around. I had more freedom,” she said.

Christina further states that when pressures of fame overwhelm her she reacts by chilling out at her home.

“If I feel stressed, I take a personal day, which basically entails me being on my couch with a book and my puppy! I don’t leave the house. And I like to visit my friends, and just hang out with my family,” she said.

You can watch Christina on Sunday nights 10/9 pm on ABC. If you’d like to dress like Christina and the other Pan Am Stewardesses for Halloween this year, ABC has made posted the step by step instructional manual complete with print outs!

More »

We noticed a few film and telvision talents who got their start as kids or teens missing from the group:  Evan Rachel Wood, Brooke Shields, Fred Savage, Christina Applegate, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Shia LeBouf, Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jordan Ladd, Scarlett Johanssson, Justin Timberlake, Sean Penn, Matt Dillon, Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Hayden Panattiere, Alyssa Milano, Juliette Lewis, Molly Ringwald, Robb Lowe, Demi Moore, Claire Danes, Sara and Melissa Gilbert, Katherine Heigl, Joaquin Phoenix, Cynthia Nixon, Diane Lane, Kristen Stewart, Jane Krakowski, Thora Birch, Helen Hunt and George Clooney to name a few.

Tell us who you think is missing from this extensive Hollywood roll call:

More »

18 year old Laura Dern in SmoothTalk (1985)

Laura Dern’s parents’ are Academy Award nominated actor Bruce Dern and Academy Award nominated actress Diane Ladd, whom divorced when she was only 2.  You could say she was born into the business and you’d be right. However, she made her own mark early in a series of heavy projects like “The Stains,” and “Foxes” at age 13, “Smooth Talk,” at age 18 and David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” at 19.  Dern then graduated to lead roles in “Citizen Ruth,” “Wild at Heart,” “Rambling Rose” and “Jurassic Park.” Laura earned her own Oscar nod for “Rambling Rose.”

But although Laura began performing professionally as a young girl, Mom Diane Ladd was strict with her teen.

“Luckily for me I had both – with my grandmother and my mother particularly – both my parents, but I was living with my mom most of the time. (They had) a real longing to make sure I was very involved in school,” she said. ”So I was lucky in that for me it worked that I was never home-schooled. I was always in school, had to be involved in two activities or I couldn’t do a job. It was like swim team and president of whatever club or something like that, and classes and play dates and over-nights,” she says.

Dern continues: “I was also lucky, frankly, to start young but my mom really balanced it. Where there were a few things that meant a lot to me that she let me audition for, but didn’t push me to go out there. And she asked my agent not to send me on everything. So I just didn’t work that much. I wasn’t doing a series for five years as a teenager. I didn’t have to deal with severe high-visibility celebrity, which is a whole other level that I feel fortunate to not have had to walk through.”

Dern’s latest project, HBO’s “Enlightened,” premiered Oct. 10, 2011. She stars in the series with Mom Diane. Last week Dern was served with divorce papers from husband Ben Harper. They share two children Ellery, 9, and Jaya, 5.

THE STAINS: Diane Lane (15) center with Laura Dern (13) far right

More »